Construction Delays Stall Art Colony Plans

Long-awaited Project To Open 3 Months Late

Pembroke Pines — Nearly a year after the city hired Commissioner Carl Shechter's daughter to run its much anticipated art colony, the project has run into construction delays.

Studio 18 in the Pines won't open until after February - three months late because workers found asbestos that had to be removed and permits took longer than expected, City Manager Charles Dodge said.

Still, "it looks like it is coming together," Shechter said. "It's a very attractive facility."

The colony, on the site of the former South Florida State Hospital laundry building at 1101 Poinciana Drive, was approved by voters in 2005. The project is aimed at enhancing the city's cultural amenities.

The 11,000-square-foot building will house 18 art studios, which are arranged around a large central gallery area. There also are four studios outside. The studios will house artists who rent the work spaces for roughly $218 to $400 a month, depending on the size. Various art classes will be offered to the public.

Jill Slaughter's hiring in February provoked controversy because she was the only candidate interviewed for the $40,000-a-year job, which was never publicly advertised. Previously, she painted murals and designed store displays for a living.

Slaughter, 53, was hired six months after the Parks and Recreation Department laid off six workers. Already on the city payroll were Shechter's son and niece.

Commissioner Iris Siple said Slaughter's hiring in light of the project's delay left her scratching her head.

"Are we putting the cart before the horse?" Siple said. "You have someone to rent places, and you have put in advertisements to rent spaces and you don't have anything to rent. It doesn't make sense to me."

Slaughter could not be reached despite two messages left with her assistant at work. Since taking the job, she has set the rental fees and fielded calls from roughly 25 prospective artists.

However, no artists have committed yet because they want to see the finished studios first, Dodge said.

"It's not her fault that it didn't open," said Chuck Vones, the city's assistant Parks and Recreation director.

"You have to plan in advance and hire people and have the facility ready to go when it opens."

In the meantime, Slaughter has painted six or seven murals on the walls at the Pines Point senior housing in the city, Vones said.

Shechter said his daughter was eager for the art colony to open.

"She was hired for a job and that job is now coming into being," Shechter said. "Her hiring was not premature at all. If it was premature, it has nothing to do with her."

Jennifer Gollan can be reached at jgollan@sunsentinel.com or 954-572-2083.